As some of you might know, I am currently watching Star Trek TNG episodes as I download them from the net. I’m currently in the 6th season and I’ve reached a beloved episode that I remember quite well from watching it the first time on cable tv a few years ago. It’s Relics an episode in which the crew of the USS Enterprise D find a Dyson Sphere (just look up the theoretical stuff about possible Dysons sphere on Wikipedia) and investigate a crashed Federation starship, the USS Jenolan, which seems to have been there for over 75 years. When they board the vessel, the find that a single survivor has been stored in the pattern buffer of the transporter for all this while. The transporters were reconfigured in a strange manner. LaForge, Riker & Worf reset the controls and rematerialize the person in the transporter – who turns out to be Captain Montgomery Scott or as we call him Scotty.

Scotty is in for a cultural & technological shock having been out of comission for 75 years trapped in the buffer and finding himself in the 24th century. Not only does he have to get used to a luxurious & huge USS Enterprise D and get used to seeing a Klingon aboard the vessel but he is also not upto speed on the technological changes that have been made. He finds himself out of place, unwanted & unable to fit in, especially when he tries to fit in by helping in Engineering but only manages to annoy Lt. LaForge. He has a strange bonding with Data while in 10 Forward, finding reach alcohol and also a kinship with Capt. Picard. He also manages to charm both Dr. Crusher & Councillor Troi. In the end LaForge & Scotty, who are both on the Jenolan when the Enterprise is caught inside the sphere and headed for destruction, help the Enterprise make it’s way out and safe from being destroyed.

Scotty, played by Canadian actor James Doohan, decides to head out to earth on a shuttle loaned from the Enterprise, seemingly going back to starfleet for a while before retiring for good. Doohan himself was born on March 3, 1920 in Vancouver, BC and was raised in Sarnia, Ontario. At age 19, Doohan joined the Royal Canadian Artillery and fought in the Second World War, landing on Juno Beach on D-Day. He was shot six times, taking four bullets in his leg, one that took off his middle right finger, and the other shot that was heading toward his chest was stopped by his silver cigarette case. In 1965, Doohan shot the pilot for Star Trek. When reading for the part, he tried eight different accents, and chose to have his character be a Scotsman. While Star Trek originally ran for just 3 seasons, from 1966 to 1969, obviously it became a cult classic and spawned four other series. Scotty became famous for lines such as “I can’t hold it together for much longer, Cap’n!” and “I’m giving it all I got!” Of course, the most famous line associated with his character was “Beam me up, Scotty.